If one looks at the ever-expanding skylines of our cities, one sees a number of residential projects of all kinds coming up (apartments/villas/row houses), all catering to various categories of home buyers. However, a glaring miss in the Indian real estate sector has been homes for the senior citizens and elderly among us. The needs and requirements of this class of home buyers are quite different from a regular customer, but until recently, there was little or no attention paid to it. This picture is now changing with projects coming up catering exclusively to the elderly, one of which is Gagan Nulife in Kamshet near Pune.

Gagan Nulife is a project, developed by Gagan Properties, a major player in the Pune market, with a large portfolio of residential and commercial projects to their name. The developers claim to have done plenty of research into senior living before coming up with this project. The project has been designed by noted architects Perkins Eastman of USA. I visited the project to see whether it delivers on its promise.

Gagan Nulife: Location & Connectivity

Gagan Nulife is located in the town of Kamshet, just off the Mumbai-Pune NH4. A left turn at Kamshet and a short 2 minute drive from the highway bring you to the project. The highway location conveniently connects it to the cities of Pune (48 km) and Mumbai (105 km), which account for most of the interest in the project. Also, the popular hill station of Lonavala is 18 km away from here. However, the hills are not too far away from here. In fact, one gets an amazing view of the lovely Sahyadri Hills from the project, an amazing sight for residents to wake up to.

View of Sahyadri Hills from Gagan Nulife

The project is 1.5 km from Kamshet Railway Station, while Lonavala station (18 km) is a convenient stopover for most passing trains. The developers have looked to assist residents in commuting by providing a complimentary shuttle bus service to within a 20 km radius of the project. The nearest airport to the project is Pune Airport (50 km).

Among the medical care centers located near this project are Kamshet Hospital (1 km), Indrayani Hospital (1 km) and Mahavir Hospital (2 km). However, residents of this complex need not go even that far, with a state of the art Oyster & Pearl Hospital with ICU facility coming up at the project itself.

Gagan Nulife: Site Overview

Gagan Nulife occupies an area of 14 acres. This project is coming up in phases. The first phase, for which construction is on, comprises of apartment blocks D and E, the latter having 3 wings. The targeted possession date for block E is September 2017, while it is December 2017 for block D.

Located in the center of the complex is an amphitheater, while the other amenities are spread across the project. Next to the entrance of the project is the clubhouse as well as the aforementioned hospital. The area in the center will be vehicle free to ensure safety of residents. The project comes with generator backup for common areas as well as a stretcher lift in each building. The project has also been provided the Silver certification by IGBC (Indian Green Building Council).

Gagan Nulife: Apartment Overview

Gagan Nulife offers homes of 1 BHK and 2 BHK configurations, each of which are in two categories: Compact and Spacious. Block D will have 4 apartments per residential level, all of which are 2 BHK Spacious apartments. In block E, wings E1 and E2 will have 6 apartments per residential level, of which 3 are 1 BHK and 3 are 2 BHK Compact apartments. Wing E3 will have apartments of the same configuration as block D.

Living room in an apartment in Gagan Nulife

Not just the apartments, but the entire complex has been designed to provide ‘no step entry’ to residents. Hence, the senior citizens, who will reside here, need not ascend any steps, which may be inconvenient for them. The apartments too have been designed with special care keeping in mind their needs. The bedrooms and kitchen are quite spacious. Anti-skid tiles have been used in the flooring for all rooms and the bathroom, the latter of which will also have grab bars for resident to be able to comfortably seat themselves.

Kitchen in an apartment in Gagan Nulife

Further adding to the convenience of residents is the facility of keyless entry to their apartments. All apartments will also be provided an inverter for power backup. Video door phones will be provided for security purposes, while an easily accessible panic switch in each apartment will allow residents to communicate directly and speedily with the onsite staff, in case of any emergency. All these features clearly indicate the thought that has gone behind designing this project.

The following table mentions the apartment configurations, sizes and prices (the price includes a maintenance fund) for the first phase of Gagan Nulife:

Apartment Configuration

Carpet Area (sq. ft.)

Total Cost (Rs.)

1 BHK Compact

456 – 486

43.5 – 46.3 lakh

1 BHK Spacious

682 – 697

64.8 – 66.2 lakh

2 BHK Regular

797

75.6 lakh

2 BHK Spacious

888

84.2 lakh

Gagan Nulife: Special Facilities for Residents

It’s not just the apartments alone at Gagan Nulife that are designed specifically for senior citizens, but also the facilities that they will be provided. Included in the package is 15 years maintenance of the complex, which will be carried out by the Signature Group, who come with a rich experience of managing senior citizens residences globally. This will include facilities such as daily housekeeping, weekly laundry, maintenance of common areas and weekly activity programmes to keep residents active and have them interact with each other. Also, periodic medical check-ups of residents will be conducted and a nurse will be available on call for any emergency. The agency appointed for providing these services comprises of professionals who are experts in their respective field. This aspect should help build trust in the minds of residents of the project.

The complex will have an ATM and a pharmacy for residents to purchase any medication they need. Guest rooms will be provided in the clubhouse, where family members and relatives of the residents can stay. The corridors will be wide enough to allow for wheelchair access, while 24X7 ambulance service will also be provided.

Gagan Nulife: Other Amenities

Under-construction clubhouse at Gagan Nulife

The sheer number of amenities provided to residents at Gagan Nulife is mind-boggling. In fact, the complex will have a total of 1 lakh sq. ft. of amenity space. The clubhouse is at the heart of the amenities. Apart from the guest rooms, pharmacy and ATM, it will have a multi cuisine restaurant as well as a community dining hall, which will offer residents a variety of dining options. The clubhouse will also contain a temperature controlled swimming pool, library, coffee shop, salon, spa, common TV room and an internet café. In addition, a geriatric fitness club will have equipment for the senior citizens to use comfortably to keep themselves fighting fit.

The central amphitheater will also have a party lawn, providing a common space for community celebrations or for watching performances. There will also be a mini golf arena for residents to enjoy. Among the sports facilities provided will be a badminton court, chess and an outdoor gym area. Also provided in the complex are a temple, Pooja garden, meditation zone, vegetable garden and a Zen garden.

Conclusion

A look at the plans for Gagan Nulife and the way the project is shaping up is a clear indicator of the developer’s focus on the needs of their elderly customers and the sheer attention to detail, which has gone into this project. This well-connected project with top class facilities ensures that the residents need not leave the complex for any of their needs, however big or small they may be. One can say that this project paves the way for other similar projects catering to the needs of the often overlooked segment of home buyers i.e. the elderly.

GAGAN PROPERTIES

Introducing ourselves, Gagan Properties is a Gagan Group Company with multiple real estate and automobile verticals in its flagship. It has its core business as prime construction and real estate ventures since last 21 years